Java VS C#

[saiz66]

Hi guys,

I am planning to learn and certify myself with one of these languages. I am wondering which language you guys think I should concentrate on. Which language are there more jobs/opportunities/higher salary out there right now. I am living in Toronto, Ontario if that matters. The company I am working for is using a lot of Java applications which I have to support. So I was thinking if I concentrate on Java this would help me support the applications better. But I have a feeling that C# may be more popular than Java. I am asking programmers who have much more experience than me for their advice. Thanks :)

[micro]

java is supported by more platforms, but c# is easier to write anything gui (because of visual studio - for me).

[_kane81]

Right tool for the right job. C# for windows platform, java for windows without need of hooks into the OS + any other platform.

VS is quicker to develop GUI apps, but only if the app is going to be run on windows. If you want to gui on multiplatform - java is the way.

yes I know about mono, but who really uses it?

[tiagosilva29]

Java.

[zombieChan]

I would say both, but if you had to pick probably C#. This may not be true in other areas but where I live, the need for Java developers are going down and the need for .Net(C#) Developers are going up.

But if your company probably is not thinking about ever leaving the Java world, or if you are not planning to leave that company soon, stick with Java.

[Andre S. Veteran]

As a language, C# is superior to Java in many ways: value types, events, real generics, properties, LINQ, type inference, lambdas, no Integer != int nonsense, and I could go on. But language awesomeness is rarely the sole factor: you need to look at what is more in demand, what pays best, etc.

[Fid]

In the UK, it appears that Java developers are one of the highest paid developers and in IT in general, only something like a Business Analyst beats it (I'll find a source for this in a sec if I can, but I read it the other day).

Also, Java seems to be the most popular language right now according to this site, which I'm told is rather reliable and is updated monthly: http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html

As your company already has Java applications (and I would assume it would be unlikely for them to waste time moving the over to C# as there would be no point in reality) I would say stick with Java. Once you learn Java anyway, it shouldn't be too difficult to then attempt to learn C#.

[nowimnothing]

If you're just trying to learn a language, I'd say C#. And it's not even close.

But if your company is using Java, you should learn Java (unless you're planning on leaving that company soon). Having the real-world examples around you will likely benefit your learning process immensely.

[Rudy]

Where I work they use pretty much just Java :/

My main problem with it is because I have to write webapps :x something I hate doing, so maybe if I was doing something more fun with it I would like it better hahah

[Flawed]

Java without a doubt:

1. Great multi-platform support.

2. Many compilers/editors/IDE's available for free.

2. You can also develop for open mobile OS's like Android too.

If you just want a simple compiler/debugger, download GNU GCJ/GDB. Then you can do everything on the terminal and avoid bloated, distracting IDE's.

In terms of language features, they are pretty much the same. C# is Microsoft's imitation of Java after all.

[AJerman]

If I could vote 100 times they'd all go to C#. I can't stand Java. But it depends on what you need it for. I don't think you should have much trouble finding a job using either language.

[lalalawawawa]

Honestly, I see Java being used less and less every day. I don't know when was the last time that I used a Java based app or something similar (it has been years).

I'd recommend C# any day. Its the best language for me, I love it. Also, Visual Studio is amazing, and Windows Presentation Foundation is starting to take off, with these tools you can make amazingly beautiful apps. ;)

[AJerman]

Honestly, I see Java being used less and less every day. I don't know when was the last time that I used a Java based app or something similar (it has been years).

I'd recommend C# any day. Its the best language for me, I love it. Also, Visual Studio is amazing, and Windows Presentation Foundation is starting to take off, with these tools you can make amazingly beautiful apps. ;)

I use Java based apps every day on my Android phone, but I still don't like Java, haha.

[Andre S. Veteran]

Java without a doubt:

1. Great multi-platform support.

2. Many compilers/editors/IDE's available for free.

2. You can also develop for open mobile OS's like Android too.

Contrarily to what many people think, C# excels in these areas as well. Mono has opened development outside of Windows for years now and a lot of successful software, both commercial and open-source, has been made with it. Monodevelop and Visual C# express are great free IDEs; C# is the only supported language for Windows Phone, and you can use it for iPhone and (soon) Android development, albeit for a price.

In terms of language features, they are pretty much the same. C# is Microsoft's imitation of Java after all.

This was somewhat true with C# 1.0. Today, C# is at its 4th iteration and simply blows Java out of the water with language features.

[joddie191]

I don't see how certification in Java somehow makes you dumb in C# or the other way around, but if I had th choose one or the other I would go for Java.

We use Java at work, but because GUI is so much quicker (and cooler) to develop in C# with XAML we almost always use C# for our smaller applications and leave stuff like server tech / webapps for Java.

And honestly, once you know Java, the step to learn C# is very small either way.

[Kristian]

I also voted for C#. Another factor to remember is that when you get fluent in any of these two languages, you should be able to understand most of the code in the other language as well. I learned Java in university, but for one project I used C#, and I had no problems getting into C# (used some tutorials, articles etc)l.

[lalalawawawa]

I use Java based apps every day on my Android phone, but I still don't like Java, haha.

Hah. :)

Well, I have Windows Phone... C# is used for apps (together with Silverlight).

Its really great how a XNA game's code in C# is the same for Windows, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone. The controls are the only thing that need porting. :)

EDIT: Should have mentioned that MSDN is filled with HUGE volumes of information about the language, the platforms it can be used on, and many other things.

[neufuse Veteran]

psh learn C# you can even make games for the Wii with it through Unity 3D and games for XBOX 360 with XNA

[Flawed]

Contrarily to what many people think, C# excels in these areas as well. Mono has opened development outside of Windows for years now and a lot of successful software, both commercial and open-source, has been made with it

I disagree. Multiplatform support for C# is quite poor compared with Java. I don't think anyone can dispute that fact. I'm aware of a couple of apps written using #c that work well, but no where near the number of Java apps. Banshee is a good example. Although it's nice software, it's written in GTK+. And therein lies the problem. C# has no multiplatform UI API.If you want it to work well on Linux you'll have to code it in GTK, in Windows, Windows Forms. WIndows Forms is proprietary, meaning it can't be implemented across platforms. This is typical of Microsoft. With Java, you can just write your UI's using swing, Java's cross platform widget toolkit. That's just one example.

. Monodevelop and Visual C# express are great free IDEs; C# is the only supported language for Windows Phone, and you can use it for iPhone and (soon) Android development, albeit for a price.

Monodevelop and Express are nowhere near as good as eclipse.

This was somewhat true with C# 1.0. Today, C# is at its 4th iteration and simply blows Java out of the water with language features.

The truth is, they are both so similar, it's hardly worth mentioning. Clearly Microsoft designed C# based on Java, hence the similarities. Languages like Vala, Java, C#, and Google Go are all very similar in features, syntax, etc. The only major differences are in the API's/Libraries, which take far longer to master/learn than simple syntax differences. Java for instance, has vast libraries and code available because its maturity.

In the end, multiplatform support, non-proprietary open standards, and well supported/mature API's/libraries are far more important than trivial language differences. And in these respects, Java is the right choice.

[Flawed]

Its really great how a XNA game's code in C# is the same for Windows, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone. The controls are the only thing that need porting. :)

Ever heard of OpenGL? Well that works across all platforms, not just Microsoft ones like DirectX does. If you want to be tied to a single platform, then DirectX is your man ;)

[Xilo]

I disagree. Multiplatform support for C# is quite poor compared with Java. I don't think anyone can dispute that fact. I'm aware of a couple of apps written using #c that work well, but no where near the number of Java apps. Banshee is a good example. Although it's nice software, it's written in GTK+. And therein lies the problem. C# has no multiplatform UI API.If you want it to work well on Linux you'll have to code it in GTK, in Windows, Windows Forms. WIndows Forms is proprietary, meaning it can't be implemented across platforms. This is typical of Microsoft. With Java, you can just write your UI's using swing, Java's cross platform widget toolkit. That's just one example.

Nothing stopping you from writing GTK+ for Linux, Mac, and Windows as it's supported on all platforms.

Monodevelop and Express are nowhere near as good as eclipse.

Opinion. I find both to run way better than Eclipse.

The truth is, they are both so similar, it's hardly worth mentioning. Clearly Microsoft designed C# based on Java, hence the similarities. Languages like Vala, Java, C#, and Google Go are all very similar in features, syntax, etc. The only major differences are in the API's/Libraries, which take far longer to master/learn than simple syntax differences. Java for instance, has vast libraries and code available because its maturity.

In the end, multiplatform support, non-proprietary open standards, and well supported/mature API's/libraries are far more important than trivial language differences. And in these respects, Java is the right choice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_C_Sharp_and_Java#Feature_comparison

Look at how many "No"'s are in Java. Many of them (generics, events, properties, operator overloading, expression trees, lambdas, query language) aren't what you call "trivial language differences". In fact, many of these are very powerful features.

[Flawed]

Nothing stopping you from writing GTK+ for Linux, Mac, and Windows as it's supported on all platforms.

Except you then have to rewrite your entire UI from scratch. What a great idea...

Opinion. I find both to run way better than Eclipse.

And the comment I responded to wasn't?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_C_Sharp_and_Java#Feature_comparison

Look at how many "No"'s are in Java. Many of them (generics, events, operator overloading, expression trees, lambdas, query language) aren't what you call "trivial language differences". In fact, many of these are very powerful features.

Operator overloading? Really? Most people probably never even need to use those so called "features". If you are one of them, then good for you, but I certainly wont miss them, and many professionals seem to agree. Those kinds of things are more of a check-list to say "yes, we have that". Not every design pattern needs those.

[Xilo]

Except you then have to rewrite your entire UI from scratch. What a great idea...

Wrong. If you are creating a multiplatform application in the first place, why would you not use multiplatform libraries in the first place? If someone started with WinForms on Windows, they most likely have no interest in multiplatform in the first place. Please, use that brain man.

Operator overloading? Really? Most people probably never even need to use those so called "features". If you are one of them, then good for you, but I certainly wont miss them, and many professionals seem to agree. Those kinds of things are more of a check-list to say "yes, we have that". Not every design pattern needs those.

Congratulations. You picked out the most trivial feature out of the many non-trivial but still useful features I listed. You're right. Not every design pattern needs certain features. But, for those designs that can benefit from those features, it's better to have them than have to come up with otherwise more difficult solutions or workarounds to get the same functionality.

Please, cut the MS hate/fanboy crap. Your posts are just spewing with it.

[Andre S. Veteran]

C# has no multiplatform UI API.If you want it to work well on Linux you'll have to code it in GTK, in Windows, Windows Forms. WIndows Forms is proprietary, meaning it can't be implemented across platforms. This is typical of Microsoft. With Java, you can just write your UI's using swing, Java's cross platform widget toolkit. That's just one example.

C# has bindings for the most popular multiplatform UI toolkits. The fact that Swing is integrated into Java isn't a major advantage; I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who really wants to develop with Swing nowadays.

Monodevelop and Express are nowhere near as good as eclipse.

For Java, probably not. :laugh:

The truth is, they are both so similar, it's hardly worth mentioning.

Dynamic type binding, declarative SQL-style requests, functional programming, run-time generics support, user-defined value types, pointers and a unified type system are not exactly trivial differences. These features can have a major impact on how you approach design.

multiplatform support, non-proprietary open standards, and well supported/mature API's/libraries are far more important than trivial language differences.

I agree that the platform differences are more important, especially since both .NET and Java support many languages. I can't speak for the .NET vs Java libraries in general since they are both absolutely huge and I'll probably never have fully explored either, but so far I can see that development studios much prefer .NET/WPF for developing their own internal tools. In terms of maturity, .NET already has over 10 years of real-world, successful use, and is improving a lot faster than Java which development seems somewhat stalled.

[nub]

Monodevelop and Express are nowhere near as good as eclipse.

I've never used Monodevlop, but C# Express is a much nicer IDE than eclipse and I've had many problems with eclipse. The entire thing freezes from time to time.

[Flawed]

Wrong. If you are creating a multiplatform application in the first place, why would you not use multiplatform libraries in the first place. Please, use that brain man.

That's the point. Java's swing libraries are a built-in GUI toolkit giving you consistency across platforms. With C# you have to go outside of the framework to get such a feature.

Congratulations. You picked out one trivial feature out of the many non-trivial features. You're right. Not every design pattern needs certain features. But, for those designs that can benefit from those features, it's better to have them than have to come up with otherwise more difficult solutions or workarounds to get the same functionality.

Hold on, you listed those "features", and called them powerful. If you didn't mean it, then why write it?

Please, cut the MS hate/fanboy crap. Your posts are just spewing with it.

I'm making an argument for the use of Java, as per the OP's question. If you don't like what I've have to say, then don't read such threads.